


Spared

by RainofAugust



Category: Star Wars - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends - All Media Types, Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic, Star Wars Legends: The Old Republic (Video Game)
Genre: Anger, Belsavis, Ekkage dies, Gen, Sith Warrior Story Spoilers, Viri goes all Sith
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-04-20
Updated: 2018-04-20
Packaged: 2019-04-25 10:59:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,146
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14377245
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/RainofAugust/pseuds/RainofAugust
Summary: Of all the ways Jedi Master Somminick Timmns has imagined himself dying – and in his line of work, it wasn’t improbable – the ones facing him now have never been on his radar. Namely, working with Viridana Dragoi, one of the most feared Sith lords in the Empire…and the woman who took down his master.





	Spared

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you Tishinada for the prompt! 
> 
> Prompt: "Why did you spare me?" 
> 
> Thank you to everyone who reads, links, comments and gives kudos on my work. It's appreciated so much!
> 
> Master Timmns, Jaesa, Vette and other SWTOR characters are the property of EA/BW/Disney/Lucasfilm. Viridana Dragoi and dialogue/story not contained in the game are my creations. Please don't borrow them.

Of all the ways Jedi Master Somminick Timmns has imagined himself dying – and in his line of work, it wasn’t improbable – the ones facing him now have never been on his radar. 

Timmns paces through the library. He’s on Belsavis, trapped in the Republic’s own archives. Go to Belsavis, they’d said. The Jedi Council had sent him here because a Lord Melicoste, working under Darth Baras, had set a plan in motion to free Darth Ekkage and her assassins. Ekkage had been a member of the Dark Council and the head of the fearsome Red Legion before she had been captured by Nomen Karr; the Republic could not afford to have her escape. 

Timmns had gladly accepted the job. Enough of Master Karr’s work had been undone already. This would not be. 

Ekkage’s location is so closely guarded that Timmns has needed to breach Republic security to find it. Which is how he’s now trapped behind the security doors, unable to free himself. 

”Timmns? Are you still alive?” The voice on the other side of the door makes Timmns wince. He’s been forced to cooperate with a Sith – the very Sith who brought down Nomen Karr, in fact- in order to secure his release from this room. The Sith has brought down the security system and taken care of Ekkage’s team of assassins. 

Which is why the library is now in shambles. The Sith wants to find Ekkage, too. The only leverage Timmns has, to prolong his life for a few hours, is the knowledge of her location. And he’s using it. 

“Timmns, focus on the door.” Timmns cringes again. The Sith is helping him escape; that means he’s technically employing the Dark Side, doesn’t it? All the same, he isn’t complaining. As he concentrates on the door, he can feel the Sith marshalling her powers on the other side of the durasteel barrier. 

”On three,” Timmns says. He counts off, and the door is blown to pieces. Timmns finds himself staring at Lord Viridana Dragoi, one of the most feared Sith lords in the Empire…and the woman who took down his master.

She’s tall. Tall enough to tower over Timmns, and he’s not a short man. Her body seems to be a solid wall of muscle. Unlike many of the Sith Timmns has seen, Lord Dragoi does not wear a mask. A few scars cross her cheeks, and her face is pale and expressionless. But the eyes that fix him with a piercing, unrelenting gaze are deep blue, not yellow or red, and the lightsaber in her hand bears a dark indigo blade. Lord Dragoi looks past Timmns into the archive, and her expression does not change as she surveys the damage. 

Timmns hears another lightsaber ignite, and Jaesa Willsaam and a Twi’lek woman emerge from behind Lord Dragoi, their weapons drawn. 

Jaesa. The promising Jedi padawan lured to the Dark Side by Lord Dragoi. The change in her is stark; her eyes are red and her face is painted with dramatic makeup. 

”Jaesa?” Timmns asks. He’d worked side by side with her under Nomen Karr; had been one of the first people to welcome her to the Jedi order. And yet, the young woman merely flicks her eyes toward him without verbally acknowledging him. Her face is stormy as she studies the wrecked library stacks, though, and she spins her polesaber and takes a menacing step toward Timmns. 

To Timmns’ surprise, Lord Dragoi holds her hand out to stop Jaesa from advancing.

”Hold,” she says. “But keep your weapons drawn, both of you.” Jaesa nods and steps back, still silent. The Twi’lek woman audibly clicks her blasters, one by one, and aims them at Timmns’ head. 

“What is the meaning of this?” Dragoi says, gesturing toward the debris. Her voice, that at least is in line with Timmns’ expectations: deep and foreboding. 

“I destroyed the archives so nobody will follow,” Timmns says, shrugging his shoulders. “I cannot leave it to you to pursue Darth Ekkage. I have a mission to complete.” 

”What, then, do you suggest?” Dragoi asks. 

“We could work together,” Timmns suggests. He knows it’s improbable; he also knows he has to at least try. 

“To what end?” 

”We both want Ekkage contained, don’t we? We don’t want her freed. That’s the angle. We cooperate to ensure she doesn’t go anywhere.” 

“Jaesa?” Lord Dragoi says, never taking her eyes off Timmns.

”He’s being truthful. He holds no malice toward you. Just fear. As he should.” Timmns cringes at the sound of Jaesa’s voice. He can all but hear the Dark Side in the timbre of her words. 

“We will work with you,” Lord Dragoi says. “If you even think of betraying me or calling more Jedi, I will eviscerate you. We will use the Imperial route to the Tombs. Is that clear?” 

“Clear as day,” Timmns says faintly. 

“After you,” Lord Dragoi says, gesturing for Timmns to leave the vault. 

*

Timmns, Lord Dragoi and her team walk silently along the road. Every now and then they cross a riot or group of rogue prisoners; if they attack the group, Dragoi dispatches them quickly. 

As they get closer to the Imperial outpost, Timmns ventures a question. 

”I can’t go through Imperial territory, or have you forgotten that?” 

”No, I have not.” Dragoi holds out one arm to stop the group, kills a nearby Esh-Kha patrol with the Force, and nonchalantly gestures for them to continue. 

“How am I going through Imperial territory, then?” Timmns persists. 

“Don’t worry about it.” Dragoi abruptly punches him in the face and backhands him for good measure. Timmns barely has time to react before his hands are pinned by the Force and his lightsaber is clipped to Lord Dragoi’s belt. 

_So this is how it ends._ He feels a blaster barrel in his back and knows he has no choice but to walk where he is led. And Lord Dragoi is leading him directly to the Imperial outpost. 

”My lords,” the Imperial officer at the gate bows deeply to the women. 

”Major,” Lord Dragoi replies with a nod. “Status report?”

”We lost two more squads to the Esh-Kha,” the man says. “We’re supposed to go into the Tombs, but I don’t want to send any more people out until I have a risk assessment.” 

”Give me the coordinates,” Lord Dragoi says. “I’ll take care of it after I dispose of this Jedi filth.” 

”Thank you, my lord. Do you need a transport for him?” 

Lord Dragoi’s smile is ghastly. “No. He has a date with a lava pit.” 

”Very good, my lord.” 

”Keep me posted, Major,” Lord Dragoi says. “Be well.” 

After a quick stop at the medical droid’s station for weapons repairs, Lord Dragoi leads the way to the back of the outpost, and Timmns finds himself being walked into a cavern decorated with Rakata statues. At the end of the corridor, there is a circular structure with lightning rods. Even through his fear, he’s fascinated as he is led to the center of the circle. 

Lord Dragoi presses a button on a nearby console, and all goes black. The next thing he knows, they are all inexplicably standing in a different circle. 

”It’s a Rakata transporter,” Dragoi says, answering his unspoken question. He is led off the circle and down the hallway. Once the team reaches a set of large Rakata statues they can hide behind, Dragoi stops. 

”You two, keep watch. You, hold still.” Lord Dragoi concentrates a stream of red Force energy at Timmns’ face, and he feels his injuries healing. His swollen lip returns to normal size, and in a matter of seconds, his pain is gone. Dragoi waves her hands at Timmns again, and his wrists are freed from their Force hold. 

“How does your face feel?” Dragoi asks, and tosses his lightsaber back to him. 

“What…why…”

“We had to go through the outpost. You would have been shot on sight, or I would have been arrested for treason. Neither outcome would have been helpful to our current mission.”

“You’re not going to…” 

Dragoi doesn’t blink. “If I wanted you dead, it would have happened hours ago. I don’t care much for theatrics.” 

”Did you have to hit me?! You could have disguised me as a Sith!” 

Lord Dragoi’s lip curls with contempt. ”Whose clothes do you think would have fit you? Mine? Jaesa’s? Such imitation is reprehensible, in any case. You could repeat every word I say and mimic every gesture I make, and you would never even be able to stand in my shadow.” 

“I see,” Timmns says quietly. 

”If we pass any roaming Imperial patrols, I will ensure they don’t remember seeing you. But doing a mind trick on an entire outpost would be a feat even for me,” Lord Dragoi says, and her tone of voice is somehow softer. “If there had been a way to throw a cloak with a hood on you, I would have done so. But time is short and improvisation was necessary. I trust you’re not still injured.” 

”Understood. But where are we?” Timmns says. He looks around at the rock walls. 

“We’re only a few meters from the entrance to the Tomb, actually,” Lord Dragoi says, showing Timmns the map on her datapad. “The northern Rakata transporter helped us save a considerable amount of time. It’s up to you to tell us where we’re going in the Tomb, however.” 

Timmns consults his own datapad. “The coordinates I have don’t match our grid.”

”Oh, that’s an issue all over Belsavis. They use an archaic system. Square them and they’ll match the grid.” 

Timmns stares at her, shocked, as he consults his datapad. “Oh. I didn’t realize you could…” 

Lord Dragoi glares at him. “Oh, right. I forgot, I’m supposed to be a mindless killing machine with no hint of intelligence.” 

Timms says nothing, but looks away. That’s exactly what he’d originally thought of Viridana Dragoi. 

“That was my impression of you before I met you, yes. I’ll admit it. I see I was wrong. You’re…highly intelligent.” 

”Yes, I am.” 

”And yet you’re still Sith.” 

Lord Dragoi shrugs. “You have a brain, and you’re still Jedi. How can an intelligent person possibly follow a code that claims there is no emotion?”

”Because that’s what we believe,” Timmns says. “Intelligence has no part in that.” 

”And yet it somehow has a critical stake in following the Sith code?” Dragoi asks. 

”Er-no. I mean, it shouldn’t. All right. Point taken.” 

* 

They traverse lava pits and storm through one Rakata chamber after the next. Lord Dragoi locates another transporter deep within one of the tombs, and it brings them closer to Lord Ekkage’s cell. 

Finally, they arrive at Block 77-Z to witness Lord Melicoste disengaging the controls. 

“Damn it. Melicoste got here first,” Timmns says, uncharacteristic anger flaring within him. 

”Calm down,” Lord Dragoi says, and secrets herself behind a statue. “It’s not a problem.” 

They hide. They watch Darth Ekkage take Lord Melicoste to task; watch her kill him. Lord Dragoi emerges from behind the statue, shaking her head. 

”Just like your brother, to betray those close to you,” she hisses. 

Darth Ekkage shrugs. “It’s a family trait. Who are you?” 

Lord Dragoi smiles. “I am the Emperor’s Wrath. The Hands have sent me to…attend to you. "

 _She’s the…oh, Force._ Timmns feels his heart sinking in his chest. _I’ve just helped the Emperor’s new Wrath free the head of the Red Legion._

”And who is this over here?” Ekkage says, using the Force to pull Timmns into the open. “Nomen Karr’s sad little whelp, is it?” 

”Lord Dragoi is with me,” Timmns tries. 

Ekkage shakes her head and draws Melicoste’s lightsaber. “The Hands have devolved to working with Jedi sympathizers? This is a sad state of affairs. You’ve freed me. Kill the Jedi and let’s get on with things.” 

Lord Dragoi has a vast array of truly frightening expressions, Timmns observes. Currently, a most malevolent smile is unfurling across her face as she stares at Ekkage. “The Hands’ way of attending to you…and mine…are perhaps different from your expectations.” 

Without warning, Lord Dragoi charges at Ekkage. She looks back over her shoulder at Timmns. 

”Feel free to jump in, Jedi. Just saying.” 

Between the two of them, they are able to take Darth Ekkage down in mere minutes.

“All right. She’s down. Help me put her back in her stasis tank,” Timmns says, and moves to pick up the unconscious Ekkage. An indigo lightsaber blade stops him in his tracks. 

”You must be kidding.” Lord Dragoi dispatches Ekkage before Timmns can even react. 

Timmns walks away from the corpse. “You…she was down. She wasn’t fighting. When are you going to learn that your current path is untenable?” 

“Do not patronize me, Jedi.” 

”She wasn’t fighting back anymore!”

The Sith raises her eyebrow at him. “So we put her back in her stasis cell, perhaps destroy the key or controls. You’re very naïve if you think that would stop Darth Baras from making another attempt to rescue her. He has one of the most extensive networks of any Sith. He can and will keep sending people to this vault until someone succeeds.” 

”We could stop them all.” 

”You want to camp out on Belsavis indefinitely and stop all comers? I have better things to do than stake out this prison.” 

”No, but—say that I do. Why not leave her?”

Lord Dragoi smiles grimly. “I’ve spent much of the past week trying to contain Esh-Kha that were inadvertently unleashed on this world. So have you. How many of your people have you lost to the Esh-Kha, out of curiosity? They’ve been decimating our troops, as well as other prisoners. If someone comes along a hundred years from now and accidentally releases Darth Ekkage, not knowing who she is and what she can do, what do you think will happen? For Force’s sake, she killed her rescuer within seconds of being released.”

”That’s all hypothetical.” 

The Sith glares at him, her eyes flashing. “How many hypothetical lives are you willing to risk?”

Timmns sighs. “None. Killing her to protect many…all right. I don’t like it, but I see your reasoning.” 

”You Jedi,” Dragoi hisses, pacing, “Senseless morality.” 

“You Sith,” Timmns counters. “Senseless bloodlust.” 

”I thought we just went through this. Explain to me again how ending Ekkage’s potential to cause harm is senseless. Or if you saw me get off on killing her,” Lord Dragoi sneers. “Let’s get out of here. You can moralize more later.” 

* 

Lord Dragoi – no, the Wrath, Timmns reminds himself – escorts the group out of the Tombs and into a lush green area with rolling hills. The contrast in Belsavis’s topography never cease to amaze Timmns. Walls of ice and landscapes covered with snow; glades filled with life; viciously bubbling lava pits…sometimes all within meters of each other. 

It reminds him of the tall Sith woman who has been his unlikely ally, in fact. 

”I think I can go from here,” Timmns says, consulting his datapad. “According to my maps, there’s a Republic outpost that way. We could…part as friends.” 

”All right.” Dragoi says. “It’s the best way.” 

Timmns blinks. “You---really?”

Dragoi raises an eyebrow at him. “Really.” 

Timmns knows he should shut up. Immediately. However, the curious side of him wants to know, precisely, why one of the most feared Sith lords in the Empire is sparing him.

“I’m a Jedi. Why are you sparing me?” 

Lord Dragoi shrugs. “I find your code abhorrent, but I will not kill you just for following it. Every Jedi I have ever killed has been attempting to threaten my life or that of others.” 

“I’m an alien. I thought Imperials hated aliens.”

”I do not. Many Imperials aren’t bigots. Those who still are will have to change if the Empire is to succeed. We have aliens who are Sith lords and Imperial officers.”

Timmns scratches his head. “You’re a Sith. I truly don’t understand.” 

Lord Dragoi crosses her arms. “Do you _want_ me to kill you? Is there a death wish I don’t know about?” 

“He does seem to be trying to talk you into it,” Jaesa opines.

Timmns steps back. ”No, I’m not, but I really didn’t expect that you would react this way. The Sith…” 

”Do you even know the Sith Code?”

Timmns considers the question. “No.”

”Through passion, I gain strength. Through strength, I gain power. Through power, I gain victory. Through victory, my chains are broken. The Force shall free me.”

“I see.” 

Dragoi looks at the Jedi. “Nothing in that code dictates that you need to die right now, or that I need to kill every Jedi I meet, or that I need to hate aliens. There’s nothing in that, or my own set of morals, that says I cannot do what I’m going to do: shake your hand and part as friends, as you’ve asked.”

Timmns extends his hand, and Dragoi shakes it. She nods to him and walks away, followed by her team. 

* 

Timmns’s handle on the geography of the Tomb is shaky at best, and he wanders in circles until he stumbles on the Rakata transporter cave again. As he walks past the mouth of the cave, he hears someone shrieking. He wanders into the cave and heads toward the sound. 

”You weirdo!” 

”Come on, try it!” 

Timmns peeks around a Rakata statue. Viridana Dragoi is running in circles on the ancient transporter, catching bits of lightning on her lightsaber. |

”Jae! Catch!” She flings the lightning to Jaesa, who adeptly fields it with her polesaber and spins it in a circle. 

”Vette!” 

”Careful. Nobody likes a crispy Twi’lek,” Vette says, and deflects the lighting ring away from her with a well-placed blaster shot. 

Lord Dragoi catches the ring on the end of her lightsaber and twirls it in the air before lofting it back to Jaesa. And she laughs. 

“Jerk! That almost got me!”

”Pay better attention, then,” Lord Dragoi says, but she’s still laughing. 

Timmns watches in stunned silence as the three women bat the lightning back and forth between them. Jaesa is giggling and laughing, and her eyes are crinkled up with joy. He realizes that he’s never heard Jaesa laugh before. As a padawan she had been solemn and serious; given to long bouts of contemplation. When Timmns thinks of it, he doesn’t ever remember even seeing her smile. 

And yet, there she is, laughing in the middle of a Rakata transporter on a hostile planet. Dragoi and her team appear to have a rapport with each other; an ease; a friendly openness. It’s been a day of surprises for Timmns. 

“We know you’re there, Timmns,” Dragoi finally says, without even looking in Timmns’ direction. “You’d best run along.”

And he does.


End file.
